BOYS OF SUBURBIA [boy x boy] [Wattys 2018]

✗ TWENTY ✗

Niko could practically marry Sebastian's mum.

Her food was amazing. When he sat down next to Sebastian, Niko was overwhelmed by the amount of food. He thought maybe he missed a few days and it was already Christmas. A giant oval plate of steaming hot Shepard's Pie, sausage rolls with pots of ketchup, jacket potatoes, bangers and mash, a mix of greens- rocket leaves, cabbages, lettuces and tomatoes- sprinkled in balsamic dressing and a casserole to complete everything. Saliva dribbled down Niko's chin as he gawked at all the food.

"Close your mouth," advised Violet, amused. Violet was lazily sprawled on the chair, her body lying sideways with her legs dangling from the arms of the chair, a cigarette casually hanging out of her mouth. Violet was pretty freaking fit for Sebastian's sister, Niko had to admit. He remembered seeing her in parties with Roger before, always hanging with the older, cooler kids, and remembered harbouring a slight crush on her. It was just a mere infatuation, something you had from afar, not something you acted upon. She was still hot...he just wasn't attracted to her anymore.

He was attracted to the other Faze sibling.

Stop it, he chided himself, you're not a fucking queer.

"Vi, don't smoke," her mother snapped. "We're at dinner, for God's sake. Put it away."

Violet obviously rolled her eyes but obeyed, stubbing it out at the ashtray beside her. Her eyes were smudged with liner and mascara that weren't properly cleaned off, giving her a smokey panda look, and the shadow of lipstick clung to her lips, painting parts of it in red. She was lanky, pale and tall, and she looked just like Sebastian- soft eyes, soft lips, snow skin, red lips, blue eyes, sharp features, all angles in those short plaid pyjamas shorts and a baggy Marilyn Manson shirt hanging on her skeletal frame like white drapes as a ghost Halloween costume. She smiled wolfishly, revealing ivory teeth that were straight like piano keys. Everything about her smelled hungover.

"So Niko," chirped Sebastian's mother, "How come I have never heard of you before?"

"Niko's a new friend," stepped in Sebastian fiercely before Niko could answer.

"He plays rugby," added Violet slyly, twirling her fork idly, lazily spinning around her casserole and then sharply striking out, stabbing the lettuce of the salad and dropping it back onto her plate with loud clicks. Her movements and mannerisms were on the far ends of the spectrum, either insouciant and glutinously, as if she couldn't be fucked with anything, or sharp and crisp, too fast and too much like psychedelic flashing lights at a neon rave. "Sebastian's type."

"Shut up, Vi," snapped Sebastian. "God, you smell like a fucking pub."

"Bash," gasped his mother, "Language. And don't be mean to your sister."

"Sorry," he mumbled, taking a quieter approach. He eyed Violet reproachfully, who smiled impishly and mimicked the gesture of sucking cock, sticking her thumbs inside her mouth and licking the upside of her hand. At the faraway state of their mother, Sebastian took the chance to flip Violet the middle finger.

"Bet that's what you're gonna do," said Violet under her breath.

"Shut up," hissed Sebastian, low and gutted out into a guttural growl.

"Calm down," warned Niko, hands over Sebastian's. His touches were warm like the stinging heat of an insulated house after a few hours in the cold. Niko could see Sebastian winding down, lowering himself back onto his seat.

"Ahem," Juliet cleared her throat. "So Niko, how do you come to be Sebastian's friend?"

"At the supermarket," replied Sebastian. "We met when I was working."

"Cute," remarked Violet, with this tiger grin that was so unmistakably her. There was something about the way her mouth curved upwards that told Niko she knew everything about him, even more. She stood to grab the serving spoon, resting on the rim of the salad bowl and scooped a good portion of rocket leaves, onions, avocados and tomatoes.

Sebastian ignored her. "Yeah," added Niko for good measure, sharing a look with Sebastian to not tell Juliet Faze how they really met, which was splitting a bottle of vodka between the two and then smoking weed later in Niko's car. It was funny how things changed. Sebastian used to be the checkout boy at the grocery store and now he was the most important person that mattered. "Sebastian needed a ride home when the bus was late and I was his classmate so..."

"Things happened," finished Sebastian, to put it loosely. "Things happened" was the best way to describe snorting cocaine on the city pool's bleachers after it was closed, smoking the hash through the poorly constructed bell-peppers bong in his car, watching Attack On Titans in Sebastian's room on a cold winter night while drinking whiskey mixed with 7UP, burning trees and other things while bitching about schoolwork on the forest floor.

That's how the rest of the conversation carried out. It was quite nice. Juliet asked typical mother things like what did Niko do in his spare time and he replied with filtered answers. For example, he had answered that question with Oh, I play rugby and hang out with my friends. Translation: I deal weed and burn dead animals in the woods while high on cocaine. Eventually, the dinner grew stale with their talking, with their bellies retired of fullness, threatening to burst from the food and Juliet in good spirits as they helped her clean up. Greg, Sebastian's stepfather, had not returned but that seemed to be the least of their worries as it Sebastian immensely happy at the fact his stepdad was nowhere to be seen to ruin the mood. Niko helped Sebastian wash the dishes and it was a night of their soapy hands touching and their hips next to each other, the warmth of each other's bodies reminding one of each other's present. He was painfully aware of Sebastian's shirt slicked with wetness from the sink and cheeks red from the cold outside, blue eyes glimmering like a lake catching the glare of moonlight. Niko couldn't get enough of that boy. It was ridiculous. A few months ago he wouldn't even think of a boy that way and now the images were blowing up in his mind- filthy, naughty things were flashing through his brain, haunting him, taunting him. The many things he would do to Sebastian. Just push him on the sink, bend him over, kiss him, make him moan loud, pull the pink fibres of pink tissue in shreds from his lips with his own teeth, grip his him and make him come undone.

Niko swallowed. He couldn't be...queer. He was the straightest ruler he had ever known. Until now.

"Oh, it's quite late," remarked Juliet, eyes trailing upon the clock hanging on the kitchen wall. It was eleven in the night. "Are you sure you want to drive at this hour? You should stay over for the night. Call your parents or something."

The 'oh no, don't worry it's fine' was at the tip of his tongue but the idea of being able to stay curled up in Sebastian's bed, lying next to his body was too tempting. Niko looked at Sebastian. Sebastian was trying not to grin.

That was all he needed.

"Yeah, sure," Niko nodded, "I don't mind staying the night. My mum won't mind. I'll text her."

Niko didn't need to because he doubted she cared. Juliet pursed her lips. "Ah that should be perfect," she said, embracing Niko with a tight squeeze on the shoulder. She turned away and began to exit out of the kitchen, retreating into the living room. "Anyway, you two should go upstairs and change. Don't stay up all night with all those video games."

When she left, Sebastian's whole face erupted into a smile so wide it could've shattered his cheekbones.

"Come on, let's go, you fucker," Sebastian deliberately insulted him as he skipped up the steps, ahead of Niko. "We have the whole night to ourselves."

And Niko planned on making the best of it.

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